The Guardian 31 October, 2007
Tasmanian nurses stand firm
Tasmanian nurses held state-wide stop-work meetings beginning October 22. Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) Tasmanian Branch Secretary Neroli Ellis said that despite two counter offers by nurses, the government had refused to move from its one and only offer. "Clearly the negotiators have no authority to truly negotiate, but are parroting the view of the Minister. The ‘offer’ on the table for nurses is a 2.5 percent pay increase each year by three years and a total, whole of employment cost change in conditions of not more than 1 percent".
Mrs Ellis continued, "However, this is conditional on the removal and reduction of many conditions, including the nursing hours per patient day model, which has reduced staff workloads and improved patient care, without any certainty of an enforceable staffing model. Without an enforceable agreement bureaucrats will control nurse staffing and, as a result, patient care will be likely to be compromised".
In addition the government has clearly indicated they intend to replace qualified nursing staff with non-qualified workers. "Personal Care Assistants do work under supervision of qualified staff in aged care and some rural sectors, however patients in the acute hospital system are frequently seriously unwell and in need of qualified nurses", said Mrs Ellis.
"Nurses have consistently asked for support after-hours, such as clerical and cleaning staff, they do not accept unqualified workers doing nursing work. Nurses are already under stress supervising students, new graduates and other nurses returning to the workplace, they do not have time to supervise a worker who would only be able to do limited tasks".
Mrs Ellis added that studies have shown that increased numbers of patients per nurse, and decreased qualified staff, will increase the risk of complications for patients. This means that patients require hospital care for longer. Tasmanian nurses are not prepared to put patient health at risk by accepting non-qualified persons doing nursing work.
The other matter that is important for nurses is a move toward a pay nexus, as already given to teachers, doctors, allied health and even politicians. The 2.5 percent pay offer means that Tasmanian nurses are 3.8 percent behind the average of nurse wages in other states. "By the end of the Agreement nurse wages will be a long way behind. This has implications for the retention of nurses, and recruitment of nurses, in the future. While the Minister has said there is ‘no nursing crisis’ in Tasmania the reality is that nurses are in short supply both Nationally and Internationally", said Mrs Ellis.
Jill Iliffe, ANF Federal Secretary, last week expressed complete support for the industrial campaign being run by public sector nurses in Tasmania.
Ms Iliffe called on the Tasmanian Government to make a sensible wages offer and to desist from its attempt to reduce nurses’ working conditions.
"The government’s 2.5 percent wage offer per year is insulting and will see Tasmanian nurses lagging behind the rest of Australia", she said. Further more the federal secretary called on the government to honour its previous commitment to provide Tasmanian public sector nurses wage parity with nurses in other states and territories.
"I understand that the commitment to wages parity has been discounted by four percent under the excuse that it takes into account Tasmania’s cost of living. This is a ludicrous approach that is unfair, will not address recruitment and retention problems in Tasmania and is not being applied to other Tasmanian public sector workers", Ms Iliffe said.
Ms Iliffe also called on the government to retain the nursing workload tool and noted that similar tools are now contained in nursing public sector agreements in all states and territories.